Haile Selassie, King of Kings, Elect of God, Lion of Judah, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, reigned from 1930 until he was overthrown by the army in 1974. While the fighting still raged, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Poland's leading foreign correspondent, traveled to Ethiopia to seek out and interview Selassie's servants and closest associates on how the Emperor had ruled and why he fell. Humorous, frightening, sad, grotesque: this is the story of a man living amidst nearly unimaginable pomp and luxury while his people teetered netween hunger and starvation.

At the same time, Ryszard Kapuscinski created a brilliant, timeless parable of totalitarian systems and imperial power.